All language subtitles for Destination NBA A G League Odyssey [2023] [1080p] ENG

[bright music]

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[gentle music]

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No one in the United States
picks up a basketball to go play overseas.

You pick up a basketball
to play in the NBA.

Basketball is life, man.

It is that real to people, right?

And it is that real for
me where the only thing

that's satisfying enough
is playing in the NBA.

[dramatic music]

Those two games I got last
year, that shit felt right.

- [net whooshing]
- [faded cheering]

I'm playing against James
Harden, and I'm playing Kyrie.

I'm playing Kevin Durant.

[announcer]
To Durant on the rack attack.

So in the second game I'm about to come
in at the scorer's table, and he's walking

from the free throw line
towards the scorer's table.

You always hear things
about, like, guys coming

into the league on a 10-day
or two-way contract, whatever,

and stars are looking at the
back of their jerseys, like,

"Oh, yeah, I'm about to have 40 on you,"
or, "Yeah, I'm 'bout to do you dirty,"

like, just trying to get in
people's minds from the jump.

So I thought he was gonna come over there
and try and big-boy me.

I was just going,
"All right, man, yep, you got it."

Like, you know, you
not gonna bark with KD.

[laughing] And so he just came up to me.
He's like, "Hey, man."

He's like, "I seen what
it took to get here.

- I seen that shit, like, congrats."
- [dramatic music swells]

And I really wanted to give
him a hug at that point,

like, "Damn, man, I appreciate that."

Like, he had no business
needing to come up to me

and talk to me, like, Kevin Durant.

But getting on that court,
playing against those guys,

being able to defend those guys,

score on those guys was
like, that shit felt right.

And so I just knew I had
to come back and try again.

[dramatic music continues]

- [distorted squeaks]
- [music intensifies]

- [street noise]
- [music continues]

[echoed dribbling]

In any section of life,
when you're on the margins,

you have to make sure that you do every
little thing necessary to gain an edge

and to get to where you want to go.

We got, what, 500 people in the NBA?

[echoed cheering]

There's probably another 500
people or so in the world

that could play with us, right?
So there's probably 1,000 people

that may or may not deserve
to be in the NBA right now.

So it's about understanding
how fragile your situation is

and how many people are trying
to fit through that bump.

- [audience cheering]
- [dramatic music continues]

You know, the G League, everyone's
fighting for their life out there…

Um, to put food on
they tables, whatever it is.

So you gotta embrace all that.

Whatever you going through,
embrace it all because you not there.

You not in the NBA yet.

- So you better work.
- [music intensifies]

In the G League,
mental is the biggest challenge…

and not everybody gets through it.

It's all guys really just
fighting for a couple jobs

at the highest level,
so you have teammates

that you're also competing with.
Mentally, it is tough.

It wears on you, it grinds on
you 'cause you work so hard.

I've had a lot of teammates
who just gave up on the game

'cause they weren't
really seeing the fruit

of all the labor they were putting in.

[distorted humming]

That journey in the G League
is just preparation,

you know, for the right
opportunity and the right timing,

you know, just to come
out and show the team

- that I can help 'em win games.
- [dramatic music continues]

At the end of the day…

there's only so many undeniable
Giannis-level superstars.

There are a lot more guys
between 300 to 700.

There's that margin that is hair thin
where some make it, some don't.

The G League's just kind
of a microcosm of that.

[dramatic music continues]

[music fades]

[gentle music]

The Winter Showcase…

everybody from every team
in the G League is there in one hotel.

We play in one gym.

People from all over the world,
you know, coming out

and playing in this league,
and everybody's playing,

you know, for the same reason.

They all love it, and they're all trying
to, you know, make the NBA.

The G is tough.

You know, obviously I'm not gonna say
like guys that's in the league

are just a little bit better than
the guys that's in the G League,

but it's pretty close.
Guys that's in the G League,

some of 'em could be in the league.

- [shoes squeaking]
- [audience cheering]

[announcer]
Pass is good for Matt McClung.

Every single team is here, the GMs,
[laughing] the assistants, the owners,

vice presidents, presidents, they're
all here trying to watch all of us play.

[players grunting]

[net whooshing]

[Denzel]
It's a lot on the line between winning

between, you know, NBA call-ups.

- [net whooshing]
- [audience cheering]

[hyped] Whoo.

Whoever the case may be,
it's a lot of pressure.

[dramatic music continues]

[footsteps plodding]

[music fades]

[crew] Okay, here?

[announcer off screen]
Henderson, little shake-and-bake.

Don't reach on him.
Don't reach on him…

'cause Scoot Henderson
will do that on you.

You reach, Scoot Henderson will teach.

I'm Scoot Henderson.
I'm 18 years old.

I play for NBA, G League, Ignite.

- What's going on, man?
- What's going on, dude?

- [Scoot] Great. What's this?
- Chicken strips.

- Got chicken strips, mac and cheese.
- And mac and cheese.

Sweet potato fries.

- It's kinda outta my diet.
- [crew 2] It's a present for you.

Basketball has always been big in my life.

Like, sports have always
been big in my life,

but I feel like basketball is just like,
it's like a religion in my family.

- [dramatic music]
- [shoes squeaking]

It kept me busy.
It kept me always doing something.

My dad always wanted us to find
something we were great at,

and he wanted to continue to work on it.

- [announcer speaking indistinctly]
- [crowd cheering]

[triumphant music]

My dad had always embedded
in me and my siblings

to always be strong and confident.

He'd always just try to
put that into our mind,

to have that fight in
you, have that edge in you

'cause you playing for something.
You playing for my last name, so.

[announcer]
Here we go. It's showtime.

Scoot Henderson, learn the name.

[dramatic music continues]

[interviewer] So you
became a big-time recruit,

took the journey a little bit different
than other young men have done,

and you went for the NBA
G League Ignite team.

How's it paid off for you?

You know, offers started to come in,
like, around, like, 10th grade summer

going into 11th, around that time.

But I never imagined myself,
like, playing for college.

When it was college,
it was more of football.

So I never really dreamed about being

on that college basketball
court or anything like that.

My main goal was to get to the league.

I was trying to play the
highest level of competition

I could possibly play at, you know, 17.

And I was blessed to get
the chance to come here,

so here,
and I'm trying to get drafted.

[announcer] Scoot Henderson,
you're projected number two overall pick

in this upcoming NBA draft.

That's because of a
certain Victor Wembanyama…

[camera clicking]

7'3" out of France
'cause in any other year…

Scoot Henderson would be the top pick.

Not that I listen to 'em a whole bunch,
but the critics were saying, too young

or, like,
"He should have went to college,"…

even the critics saying anything about
my shooting or my leader ability.

[announcer]
Ignite with a chance, Henderson, yes.

[cheering roars]

Now, I went in here
and continuing to work.

You know, it's just all starting
to pay off a little bit,

and I'm gonna continue to work, too.

[announcer] So Henderson looking to run.
He'll challenge.

He'll get all the way to the basket.

[announcer 2]
Look at the body on that guy…

- [net whooshing]
- [dramatic music continues]

I put a lot of pressure on myself,
just wanting to be great…

so I'm just trying to maximize my talent,

so you know, just gotta work.

[rim clattering]

The basketball God's gonna pay you back.
That's what my dad always say.

So, like, as long as you
work, you know, and work hard…

- [net whooshing]
- the basketball God's gonna always know.

[dramatic sting]

- [net whooshing]
- [ball thudding]

[announcer] York for the win.
Ball game.

- [audience cheering]
- [announcer] Go time. Gabe York.

Gabe York is a human torch.

My name's Gabe York, 29 years old,
play for the Fort Wayne, Mad Ants.

This is my eighth year pro, so
I've been all over the world,

played in Greece, France,
Germany, Italy, and Israel.

Some people get it at 20 years old,

and they only have to
do one year of college,

and it just works out
that way for some people.

And that's great, but for me, you know,
my journey was a lot different.

[interviewer] And lastly, 29, basketball
is kind of, it's older, people would say.

[dramatic music swells]

I had an opportunity to go to Spain this
year, and a lot of people say Spain's

the second-best domestic
league in the world,

and I had an opportunity to go out there,
and it didn't feel right.

You know, I didn't pick up a basketball

at three years old, and my
mom's not showing me pictures

of me at three years old sleeping
with a basketball to go play overseas.

I could care less about the bread.
It's what basketball means for me.

My game has proven over the
last two years' showcase

that, you know, I belong where I belong.

I know I'm an NBA player,
I know I belong there,

and it's just a matter of one team
giving me that opportunity to be like,

"Here, go ahead and
showcase what you can do."

[announcer] And now, the starters
for the Fort Wayne, Mad Ants.

[announcer continues speaking faintly]

[Gabe continues off screen] But it's
crazy how this shit works out, man,

because you know, I've been
playing so well this year,

changed my body type, changed everything,
and these two games were supposed to be

the focal point to show GMs, owners,

all these NBA teams for the
improvement to this year.

[gentle music continues]

- [shoes squeaking]
- [ball thudding]

[announcer] Gabe York, the leading scorer
for the Mad Ants, averaging 25 a game,

he is out due to a non-COVID illness.

That's kind of the nature of the G League,
next man up.

[music swells]

[footsteps plodding]

That's fucked up, man.
It's hard for me to come here and

knowing where I'm at in my career,
knowing that these games

are something that I can't take lightly,

I can't take for granted,
and to not be out there today

and still be there, though,
it was very hard for me today.

- [coughing]
- [phone buzzing]

[Adina over phone]
Are you feeling better?

- [Gabe] Feeling better.
- [Adina] That's good.

I was able to hold down the
food today, so that's a plus,

but all I had was a banana
and some pudding, so.

- Yeah, you should get some ginger shots.
- [Gabe] Ginger shots will help?

- Yeah.
- Appreciate it, doc.

You're welcome. [laughs]
I'll fix you.

- [net whooshing]
- [balls thudding]

- [unintelligible chatter]
- Let's go, man.

Let's bring the most energy,
get the fuck outta here.

- [player] Yeah.
- [player 2] Yes, sir.

Let's go, man, come on.
Another day the office, boy, come on.

[buzzer sounds]

[announcer] Here's Gabe York…

- [rim clattering]
- [shoes squeaking]

[announcer]
He's missed his first two shots.

- [audience cheering]
- [unintelligible chatter]

- [announcer] York…
- [player] Hey.

[announcer] He is trying to fight back
from that illness he had.

He's 0 for 5.

[dramatic music swells]

Fuck.

Can't fucking breathe.

- I'm moving dead weight out there.
- [music intensifies]

Over the last eight years,
I've just had to learn patience,

had to learn that, like,
whatever I want for myself,

like, it's not gonna come
right then and there.

Like, whenever God's
timing wants me to have

what is meant for me,
it's going to be there.

[singing in Hebrew]

How would I put my
basketball dream in words?

[continue singing]

To try to inspire people
to be proud of who they are.

My name is Ryan Turell.

I am 23 years old, and I play
for the Motor City Cruise.

[announcer off screen]
Ryan Turell, he's trying to be

the first-ever
Orthodox Jew to play in the NBA.

Amongst all levels of
collegiate basketball last year,

he led the country in scoring.

This is the number one
question from all my teammates

in the past and all the people.

"How the heck does that
stay on your head?"

We got clips on the inside.

- [Coach] Cut, get a piece.
- [whistle blows]

- [overlapping chatter]
- Go to work, go to work, stay at it.

- [Coach] Eight, seven…
- [players] Shoot it, shoot it.

- [shoes squeaking]
- [Coach] Just shoot.

The G League is a very
competitive basketball league.

I mean, it was a hell of a transition.

- [unintelligible chatter]
- [uptempo music]

- [Coach] Good stop, good stop.
- [player] Come on, come on, Cruise.

I went from a division-three
school, you know,

which is very half-court basketball
to, you know, the G League,

which is [laughs] one of the fastest

if not the fastest-paced
basketball in the world.

[overlapping chatter]

Athleticism would be
one of my weaknesses,

so it took me a little bit
to get used to the speed.

Strength would be one of my weaknesses.
I'm 195, so I gotta get my weight up…

but you know, my strength is shooting.

[announcer]
All right, Turell pops it again.

- [net whooshing]
- [announcer 2] Whoa, what was that?

- That was from outta this world.
- He shot that from Space Jam planet.

"Three" and "D" will be my
ticket into the next level.

- [announcer] Puts it in.
- [audience cheering]

Gotta be able to knock down shots,
and gotta be able to defend people.

And I think I'm starting to get closer
to my stride, and as time progresses,

I'm gonna start getting comfortable
and start playing better.

- [Laurel] Pass it.
- [unintelligible chatter]

Come on, baby, come on.
Oh! Yeah, baby.

- [cheering] Yeah, baby, yeah.
- [cheering] Good shot.

My mom has always been at every game
since I was four or five years old,

- cheering her head off.
- I get excited. [laughs]

- [game sounds]
- Here we go.

[Ryan] My dad, you know,
he's my biggest fan

and biggest critique at the same time.

[Brad] Oh, shoot it… [yells] shoot it.

[clapping]

In my 51-point game in college,
he had some critique.

"Okay, on this shot,
you didn't square your shoulders as much."

- You gotta shoot that. Don't you think?
- [Laurel] Yeah.

Jews love basketball,
[laughs] you know,

and to have such an amazing
foundation and support system

- in my parents and the Jewish fan base…
- [Laurel] That's pretty cool. [laughs]

It's awesome.

- [audience cheering]
- [unintelligible chatter]

Hey, how does it feel to, like, be one
of the most popular players in the G?

- [dramatic whooshing]
- [overlapping fans chatter]

- I'm just a player, man.
- You gotta know it. [laughs]

10 years down the line,
I hope to see, you know,

a few yarmulkes on the
court in an NBA game.

That would be the ultimate dream and goal.

Oy vey is, like,
what we like to say.

[Laurel] The announcers go "mazel tov".
Well, that's-

[relative] Yes, it's hilarious.
Like, when you make a shot, hearing the…

- "Mazel tov".
- [relative] broadcaster, "L'chaim."

- Happy Hanukkah, everybody.
- Happy Hanukkah.

- [Laurel] Happy Hanukkah, happy Hanukkah.
- [Ryan] Yeah, right.

Gotta get this treatment.
You know what I mean?

It's very important, very vital to
being consistent on and off the court.

Like Giannis say,
"It's lonely at the top". [laughing]

Just trying to be great, man. [laughing]

[announcer] Mason Jones with
a hand in his face, there's a three.

[announcer 2] He is a killer offensively.
I'm telling you.

My name is Mason Jones.
I'm 24.

I play for the Mexico City Capitanes.

[buzzer blaring]

[announcer 3]
Friday night in Mexico City.

[Mason] I like Mexico City.
The way they love basketball.

I can see an NBA team being in Mexico City

just 'cause how the fans
support their team so much.

- [announcer 3] Mason Jones taking over.
- [net whooshing]

Nobody better in the G League
right now than Mason Jones.

I am the best player in the G.

In the G League, I feel like
I can get wherever I want,

and I feel like a lot of
people know I'm very good.

A lot of people know that
I can do this in the NBA.

It's just about, like, the other things,
like I said, how do they define you?

[weights clanging]

[continues off screen]
Basketball was a big thing in our family.

I had a brother that was
a McDonald's all-American.

I had a sister that was a
McDonald's all-American…

and I was like the fat kid that ran around
and just tried to play at timeouts.

[uptempo music]

Coming from where I was, you know,
I mean, I always had people telling me

I was Matt Jones's little brother.
I was Jordan Jones's little brother…

and I always carried that
with a chip on my shoulder.

My sister, two-time defensive player
of the year SEC, only person to do that.

My brother, he ended
up taking a scholarship

to Duke University, so
just seeing him go there,

and fulfill his goal, and
win a national championship.

But then the older I got,
I just feel like…

I'm not out here to try
to play for them no more.

I'm not out here trying
to prove people wrong.

I'm just out here trying
to prove myself right.

- [feet thudding]
- [inspirational music]

You know I mean?
I feel like if I can wake up at 4 a.m….

work out, work out again, work out again,

I feel like that gives
me the chance to showcase

the things that some people
have questions about.

[announcer 4]
And we see Mason take a deep three.

[announcer 3] He is unstoppable.

[announcer 5]
The SEC's leading scorer.

[Mason]
I played for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

[announcer 6] How does he do it?

[Mason] I went undrafted.
I signed with the Rockets.

[announcer] The three ball from Jones.

My first year in the NBA,
I didn't do no G League.

That was my goal for all first year.

Even though I was undrafted, I wanted to
show that I'm able to stay on the roster.

I'm capable to know that,
when my opportunity's called, I'm ready.

- [crowd chants] Defense, defense.
- [net whooshing]

[announcer]
Dead-on three ball, Mason Jones.

I played with the Rockets
till half the season,

and I got cut 'cause I started
asking too many questions,

like, "Why am I not playing?"
or like, "How can I get better?"

where I shoulda just stayed in the back
and continued to work hard,

continued to do the right
things as being a professional.

Following year, I went to the Lakers.

- [announcer] Jones gonna stop the clock.
- [announcer 2] Wow.

- [net whooshing]
- [audience cheering]

[announcer] Good playing by Jones.

[announcer 2] A slap on
the hand from LeBron James.

They was like,
"We gonna start you off G League."

And I just knew like,
"Oh, okay," you know what I mean?

I feel like every position God
puts you in, you learn from it.

"Oh, okay, let's put you in LA.

You just was in Houston.
Let's see if you learn from it.

Okay, you learned from it in LA,
but we feel like you're still not ready.

Let's send you to Mexico
City, see if you pout,

or let's see if you like,
'Oh, they doing me wrong.'"

That's not how I look at it. Day by day,
I continue to get better and better.

- [ball thudding]
- [shoes squeaking]

Like LeBron always said,
you gotta have a little luck in this game.

You know what I mean?
For me to continue to really stay firm

and know what I wanna do in his life,
I feel like my luck's gonna come.

- [ball thudding]
- [echoed chatter]

- [hard slap]
- [player yells] Foul!

[Coach] That's a foul.

[announcer] Shot clock's at four.

Valentine takes a peak, spins,
throws it up. That is good.

Valentine, [cheers],
put that on the highlight reel.

- [overlapping chatter]
- [player] Hey.

[announcer groans] Denzel Valentine,
he's not playing around.

I'm Denzel Valentine.

I'm 29 years old,
and I play for the Maine Celtics.

My pro career has
definitely been a journey.

[announcer] The Chicago
Bulls select Denzel Valentine

from Michigan State University.

Yeah, we got young Michael,
we got young Michael in the making.

This guy's right here. [laughing]
Look at him, look at him.

[shoes squeaking]

[announcer]
Now, Valentine wheeling out.

- Outside, Valentine.
- [net whooshing]

- [overlapping chatter]
- [shoes squeaking]

[announcer] That was gold.

Played in the NBA for multiple years,
and then now I have to come back down.

[overlapping chatter]

[Daniel] I don't hear y'all now.
Fuck outta' here.

Just emotions, you know a couple
bad injuries, frustrations.

Get a fucking stop.

Just everything that comes
along with being a NBA player…

um, you know, that kinda led
me to where I am right now.

[Preacher through TV]
That was in the elevator.

When the doors opened,
an older lady stepped out.

I hadn't seen her in years,
but I always knew that she prayed for me.

Coming in, you kind of gotta
put your pride to the side,

put your ego down, and just kinda relearn
how to be successful at the highest level,

and you gotta kinda just figure it out.

I'm just happy we got some sunshine, man.

We don't get a lot of sunshine in Maine.

It's gonna be difficult.

You're gonna have ups,
you're gonna have downs,

but you definitely just
gotta stick with it.

Yeah, it's all in here.
I mean, we're all good,

especially if you get to this level.
We are all, like, successful,

so it's pretty much
just about the mindset.

[Preacher continues]
I heard God saying,

"Whatever you're worried
about is going to be fine."

What he starts, he finishes.

[Denzel grunting]
Definitely.

[door clattering]

In the G League, everybody
may not believe in you.

You have to believe in yourself.

[elevator bell chiming]

I know my goal of mine
is to be back in the NBA,

- so if it happens…
- [buzzer blaring]

[Denzel continues]
I will be ready.

- [player] Win on three, one, two, three.
- [all players] Win.

- [overlapping chatter]
- [ball thudding]

- [player] Man, fuck.
- [net whooshing]

- [gentle music]
- Hell naw, hell naw.

[continues off screen]
Every year, I watch the finals…

And I just, like, envision myself playing
on that stage, and hitting big shots,

and playing big defense,
and winning the championship…

and that's definitely one of my dreams.

- [whistle blows]
- What?

[continues off screen]
To win an NBA championship.

We right here.
It's a lot of game left. Come on.

- [ball thudding]
- [whistle blows]

- [music fades]
- [overlapping chatter]

- [player] Ref!
- Fuck.

[buzzer blaring]

[announcer] Ball game…
Clippers win 124-112.

If you have a dream,
and you really believe in something,

no matter what happens in your journey,

I just believe you just
gotta just keep going…

and no matter what people
say, "Ah, you can't do it.

You had your shot," or
whatever they may say,

just keep believing in yourself
in no matter what your circumstances are.

Keep going. Um…

The storm can't last forever,
so you just wake up, you know,

don't fight it, just take the
punches, and just keep going.

[announcer] Payton the
second of the other run,

- and he dunks it with authority.
- [net whooshing]

There's gonna be a
light at the end of that,

but you gotta just chop wood every day.

You gotta do the same thing
over, and over, and over,

and over again, but you're
working towards something,

and sooner or later,
it's for sure gonna pay off.

[announcer] Quickly up to Payton…
[cheers] Gary Payton with the flush.

- [audience cheering]
- [music intensifies]

[Spencer] Sometimes in life
you can't let go of the rope.

[announcer] Spencer Dinwiddie
dribbles to the right elbow,

puts up a jump shot, knocks it down.

And I think one of the truest tests of
mental security and confidence is, like,

not letting go of the rope.

[announcer] Dinwiddie pulls one over
White, and it's good, Dinwiddie.

[Jalen] Just grinding, all of us is just
grinding, and we we're working.

[announcer 2]
Jalen Green getting to the rim.

That's what built us and got us ready.

We all took our mentality, our work ethic
to, like, a whole nother level.

[announcer 2] Green on
the attack, Jalen Green.

[audience cheering]

[alarm blaring]

It was a grind every single
day to get up, go to practice,

go to games, the travel,
obviously, tough at times,

playing back to backs, flying commercial.
That's not where you wanna be long term.

- [shoes squeaking]
- [announcer] Curry.

[announcer 2] Oh, he's
rolling now, the hot hand.

Just you want to make the
most of it and move on from it.

That's part of the motivation
of working up every day,

going to practice, going to
those daily league games is

I want this to be in my
past, not where I am forever.

[announcer] Curry!
You bet! Flames from Seth.

[overlapping grunting]

[Spencer continues off screen]
Too many people think it's physical.

It's not just physical, man.
It's all of it.

You're in that position
to learn something.

There's something that you need to learn

in that environment for
you to come out of it.

You know what I'm saying?
Or God, or if you're not religious,

the universe wouldn't
have put you there, right?

So, the grind can be mental,
the grind could be spiritual,

the grind could be physical as well,
so it's about, like,

embracing all of those challenges
could just be to test

how resolute you are in your
will to keep going forward.

[dramatic music]

- [switches clicking]
- [lights hum]

[thematic music]

- [shoes squeaking]
- [balls thudding]

[Jason] The next step is not physical.
It's the mental.

Oh, my God. I told him it was mental
from the beginning.

[Jason] Yeah, but he
learning that, though.

I told him yesterday,
I said, "Get used to it.

- You not getting drafted to the Bucks."
- Right.

You might have to build patience,
character, leadership skills.

Even during the game, I had to tell,
I was, like,

"Forget the play, I gotta talk to you"…

- Right.
- "'cause you getting frustrated."

- Right.
- You got a lot frustrating nights.

- Oh.
- [music builds]

But 'cause he be so killer,
I coach him like he 26.

- I be forgetting he 18.
- Yeah, for real.

First met Scoot, um,
he was a quiet, shy kid…

and then, um, he got on the court,
and I couldn't believe it

'cause I've been around
basketball a long time,

and I had never seen nobody
that good at 17 years old.

So I knew it was something special.
And then watching his work ethic,

that made me think
he was a different breed.

[thematic music continues]

- [net whooshing]
- [ball thudding]

I mean if you're trying
to make it to a place

where it's only 400 slots
for the whole wide world

to put all your eggs in this basket
and try to make your dream come true,

then if you not really working insanely,
you're wasting your time.

College is a great game.
I went to college for four years,

but, the Ignite offers
a program to where you can really focus

- and hone into your dreams earlier.
- [net whooshing]

And so the young men that we bring here
trying to chase that dream,

they understand that they
gotta come in and work

at an uncomfortable level.
And I think that he starts with Scoot.

- [chair clattering]
- Hey.

Some of the personnel has changed
since we played 'em last.

We just gonna watch, try to get used
to what we playing against.

And then, fellas, this is our practice.

Yeah, the G League's been,
you know, just a whole bunch

of growth day by day, game by game,

like, practice by practice,
film session by film session,

playing against guys
that are really skilled

and getting a different look every night.

[unintelligible chatter]

Things I needed to work on coming here was
mainly like talking.

If I'm calling a play,
and somebody over here,

and they supposed to be over there,

I gotta be able to put the
players in the right position

every single play.
The G League teaches you that.

If you telling,
"Hey, Leonard, you got head,"

- oh, I gotta be on my shit, too.
- Yeah.

You gotta remind 'em. Remember I told you.
I sent you had a little clip.

- Yeah.
- I said, "Draymond, hey, who got here?

You got here.
Leonard, you heading, you heading, dawg.

Hey, Mo, Mo, Mo, watch
yours, watch yours."

- Yeah.
- Gotta do that, hard work,

but it's our position.

[continues off screen] I throw so much
at him because he can handle it,

and, um,
I think he's doing a admirable job,

and he's only going to
continue to get better,

and I gotta remind myself
he's still 18 years old.

- [gentle music]
- [unintelligible chatter]

- What you doing today?
- Uh…

When I first met Scoot,
and I was, like, "Wait, hold on, hold on.

Hey, bro, I'm 20 years older than you?
Like, I'm 20 years older than you?"

And that's when it really hit
me, and I was like, "Wow."

The type of talent and type of gift
that God has given Scoot was more, like,

"Okay, I know why I'm here."

- When do the 49ers play again?
- [unintelligible chatter]

- What's that on?
- January 14th.

- What, this?
- Yeah.

- Siri.
- On Instagram?

- No, you just hold it up.
- Oh, my gosh.

- Hey, come on now.
- Oh, man.

- I don't have…
- Why you don't have Siri, though?

- You got an iPhone?
- Yeah, I got an iPhone.

- You was on Instagram.
- Uh-huh, it's any app.

- Hey, Siri.
- You gotta enable it.

- You gotta go back to the settings.
- Hey, Siri.

- Hey, Siri… Hey.
- Hey, Siri.

Hey, Siri.

- Try to hold…
- My phone, I got a ghetto phone.

- You do got a ghetto phone.
- So, I say, hey, Shaquita.

- [laughing] No.
- Shaquita.

- No, that's…
- Hey, Shaquita.

- This is incredible.
- No, this dude is funny, bro.

- Hey, Siri acting like one of my kids.
- [Scoot laughing]

[gentle music]

I am Eugene "Pooh" Jeter, III…

and this is my second year playing
with Ignite but 17 overall,

and I am the oldest player
in the G League, the point guard,

the veteran, the coach, the connector.

Like, with Scoot, when
he comes out of the game,

and I'm on the bench,
he comes and sit next to me.

That's just how we are.

And I feel every NBA team
should have a vet like this.

Every NBA team should have a vet like me

that are able to be that
type of player-coach.

You feel me?
Like, you know, if I'm gonna be that OG…

you know, I'm gonna make sure that these
young'uns is on the right mission,

you feel me, like, making
sure they do the right things

for them to be better than me.

- [street sounds]
- [gentle music continues]

This is my bro, Steve. Well,
I be calling him Lil' Steve to this day.

- I'm big Steve now.
- You feel me?

Oh, we grew together.
I've been knowing Pooh's since…

- like, five, six years old.
- [Eugene laughing]

I used to love going to
Pooh's games just to hear

his dad say, "We love free throws."

- [laughs] Why?
- [both] 'Cause they free.

I'm really excited
about watching this game

because of MarJon Beauchamp, right?

MarJon Beauchamp was with us last year.

I'm waiting for MarJon to come in.
Matter of fact, he's in the game.

Okay, MarJon is in.

Here go that, uh-huh.
Kick it to him.

Okay, okay, oh, yes, sir.

[laughing] Yes.

Look at him. Come on, MarJon.
This is perfect timing.

[gentle music]

I told Scoot today that
I'm gonna be at the draft.

Like, I told him, I said,
"I'm gonna be at that draft, bro." Um…

And we have, like, a little
thing going on to see

- if he's gonna cry or not, you know?
- [Steve laughing]

But I was like, "I don't know.
Man, I dunno if Scoot gonna be crying

- when he get on that stage."
- I'm gonna be ready.

- I'm gonna be like-
- [Eugene] Finally.

- Damn, where you been at?
- For real.

[gentle music continues]

[Eugene] Us having this
amazing relationship,

I'm gonna be sad, you know,
when he leave.

You know it's, like,
"Job well done."

[dramatic music]

[Andee]
How did you feel

when they announced
that you got player of the month?

- [echoed cheering]
- [music swells]

[announcer] Mason Jones
taking over this first half.

[audience cheering]

[announcer 2]
He can turn it on in a heartbeat.

- [net whooshing]
- [audience cheering]

At the end of the day,
I won that last year,

and you know, my expectations
is higher than that.

So going into this game,
I think I'm more locked in.

Maybe tonight you guys
can get up and down,

lot of fast breaks, play your style.

Yeah, I text you at
every halftime, every game.

Like, "What do you see?"
And I know you always texting me,

- "Leave the refs alone."
- [Andee laughing]

- Yep, yep.
- Shoot the open threes.

'Cause you're emotional,
but your energy does change

- the dynamic of the game.
- That is true.

I feel like I'm the best player in the G,
first team all-NBA G League last year.

I'm on the same path this year.
I feel like I should get MVP.

How are you feeling for tonight?

Um, tonight's gonna be a very big game

'cause also it's on ESPNU,
me against Scoot Henderson.

That's the top-two pick,
and then you got me,

- high-profile player in the G.
- Yeah.

I think that people's
gonna get their money worth.

[dramatic music]

The G League is full of tough players
that you might not know…

guys that's been to college already,

guys that experienced the
league multiple times already,

having a whole family and,
you know, trying to feed them.

But I got a family that
I'm trying to feed one day, too.

That's why I just try to come in
with that same killer mindset.

Knowing I'm about to kill
whoever's in front of me.

[Scoot grunting]

All right, man, let's win this game.

I feel like this is where
another test is being performed…

two of the most highly respected players
in the G League going at each other.

When you get that, that's like
a LeBron-versus-KD in the NBA matchup.

Top teams, you know
they're gonna be tough to us

'cause, obviously, we're younger.

You know we have, like,
that target on our back almost.

[announcer] Mason Jones went undrafted
in 2020, the star out of Arkansas.

Mason Jones with a hand in his face.
There's a three.

[Tom] I thought you
were gonna say Scoot Henderson.

[announcer] Well, it's
always Scoot Henderson, Tom.

Here he is going to the bucket.

Take a sec, like talk, talk, talk, talk.

I feel like this year I'm kind of stepping
into that leadership ability.

Trying to continue to
talk every possession,

like, repeatedly every possession.

Hey, you're by yourself.
You're by yourself.

[announcer] He's practicing
how to be more vocal on the court.

[Tom]
And for some guys that comes natural.

Some guys, they have to really work on it.

- [dramatic music swells]
- [shoes squeaking]

- [Mason] Down low.
- [squeaking continues]

- [audience cheering]
- Damn, come on man.

You better get out that hedge.
You better get out that hedge, coach.

What I was saying is you can't do that.
You gotta stay, you going to a solid team,

so your part of your development
is staying with it, bro.

God didn't bless me to go
to be a franchise player.

That's you, so when it ain't going good,
bro, you can't go south.

- [Coach] Heads up, doc, right, right.
- [Tom] Mason, John, telling you,

he's a scoring machine now.

[net whooshing]

People know I'm a very
good basketball player,

but they wanna to see, like,
how do Mason carry his demeanor?

Ref, he's grabbing my whole arm.

Yeah, you hit my whole arm,
but they don't wanna gimme no fouls

'cause they feel like every,
they say I'm the best player in the G,

so they be, like, I can't get no foul.

The label they put on me is, like,
"Do we have an attitude problem?

No, he doesn't have an attitude problem."
I think I just love to win.

- [panting] Cut, left, cut.
- [music swells]

[game sounds]

- [whistle blows]
- [player] Yes, sir.

What do you want me to do?
What you talking about?

Kyle been turning the ball all game.
Shut the fuck up.

That's a foul.

[music fades]

[faint game sounds]

[dramatic music swells]

I feel like my style of play is,
like, whatever it take to win.

[announcer] He's got the
clear out against Pacheco.

- Scoot Henderson, have some.
- [cheering]

When I get in that mode,
it's like I'm in that mode,

and I'm not gonna back down for nobody.

- [players grunting]
- [whistle blows]

You're too little.

[announcer]
And he starts flexing on him.

They cannot guard Scoot Henderson tonight.

I guess it's, like,
that dog in me, you know.

- [music swells]
- [bodies thudding]

[unintelligible chattering]

[continues off sceen]
I got that dog in me for real.

Y'all ain't got no more timeouts, right?

And it's gonna come out when
it need to come out for sure.

[audience cheering]

- [whistle blows]
- [announcer] That's the ball game.

Ignite will hold on
for a 123-122 win over Mexico City.

[music intensifies]

Fellas, we got a good enough
team where we can win games.

We don't have to come out like Buster.
You can come out and fight just like that.

Then, you gotta tighten
up the second half.

[Eugene] Yeah, I tell them, like, yo,
Scoot, just show them you.

Even though it is a lot of things going on

between him and Victor,
who's one by one, number two,

you know, show 'em that
you can run that team

but also be explosive
and be the person you are

no matter where you get drafted.

[Scoot] It is gonna be a great day.

[net whooshing]

So just walk up on that stage
and get ready for the next level.

[announcer] Good evening
and welcome to the NBA draft.

- Next season starts tonight.
- [dramatic music]

Draft night was crazy.
My range was 10 through 20,

and I didn't know where I was gonna go.

I think it was an hour and a half from,
like, when the program started

till I got drafted,
and it felt like five hours.

It was so long, and every
pick, it was just like,

"Oh, my God, when is it gonna happen?"

My senior year, I wasn't
on no draft boards.

You may have saw me on, like, one or two,
maybe, like, late second round.

[music intensifies]

But then we played Kansas in Chicago
for the Champions Classic.

[announcer]
Yeah, look at that.

[announcer 2] He's like the guard
version of Draymond Green.

He could just do so many
different things for them.

- [announcer] Yeah.
- [announcer 2] Valentine.

Yes, it's the Valentine show.
Michigan State has the victory.

[Denzel] And I had a triple double
against Kansas, and then

I literally went from being barely on any
draft boards to lottery pick.

Denzel Valentine right
now the player of the year.

[Denzel] And then from that point on,
my confidence went straight to the roof.

- [audience cheering]
- [dramatic sting]

With the 14th pick
in the 2016 NBA draft,

the Chicago Bull select…

- Denzel Valentine…
- [audience cheering]

[announcer continues]
from Michigan State University.

Once they said my name, I jumped up,
and I kind of screamed.

The reaction was just so organic.

And as I'm walking up, I get
the hat, I'm going up there,

I'm just, like, damn near shaking.
Like, it feels fake.

Every day as a little boy,
I used to sit and think about it.

And for this moment finally
to come, it was like,

it was definitely just a
blessing and a dream come true.

[continues off screen] Ooh, I was getting
nervous there, you know, just, you know,

pick after pick, and you're just kind
of sitting there wondering,

and you know, I'm just so glad

I'm going to the Bulls,
and I'm gonna give them my all,

and I'm just glad to
get this process going.

[gentle music]

When I was in Chicago doing
my thing, I'm drafted,

you know, everybody wants a part of you.
Everybody's talking to you.

Everybody's reaching out.
"How you doing?"

Everybody's commenting on
your Instagram, your Snapchat,

your this, your that.
Now, I don't get the same likes.

I don't get the same attention.
I don't get the same feedback.

But my family never switched up.

I talk to my parents damn near every day.

They always say,
"You're gonna be back in the NBA.

You can do it.
Your time is coming.

Like, it's always been that way.
Like, Valentines, we're tough."

I keep everything where I need it to be at

just in case a team call.
I'll be ready to go in 15 minutes.

So we had Denzel at the end of last year
after he'd gotten cut, and you know,

I think he was a little weary
of like, "Man, the G League."

Like, I haven't spent a
whole lot of time here.

I think he played, like, two or three
games when he was with the Bulls

in his whole career in the G League,
and they were all just…

send him down for a day,
play the game, come back up.

[gentle music continues]

[Alex continues] If you don't love
basketball, this is a hard place to be.

You're not gonna love those
four-hour layovers in airports

and staying at not-as-nice hotels,

having to get up at 7:30 to work out
at eight before you go on a flight.

If you love basketball,
the G League's a good spot to grind.

If you don't, it's gonna be tough for you.

- [upbeat music]
- [shoes squeaking]

[whistle blows]

[Denzel] Just being in the
NBA was definitely challenging.

- [announcer] Denzel Valentine.
- [audience roars]

[Denzel] A lot of times where
I was rolling, I'll get an injury,

and it'll kind of set
me back a little bit.

I learned a lot from that experience.
I got to play.

I got to show what I could do.

[announcer] Valentine for three.
That's good.

[Denzel] I had a lot
of really good games.

[announcer 2] His best game as a Bull.
Here he is again.

[all grunt, cheering]

Gimme the hot sauce.

[Tom]
Gimme the hot sauce, Denzel.

[Denzel]
But it was definitely up and down.

My last year with the
Bulls I probably would say

that was probably my worst
year ever in basketball.

[announcer]
Oh, my goodness, Valentine. Whoa no!

- [announcer 2] No, no, no.
- [announcer] That is not the shot

- at that moment.
- [announcer 2] That's a horrible shot.

[player] That shit outta here.

I know I belong at the NBA level.

- [net whooshing]
- That's good basketball.

[continues off screen]
I got a lot more basketball,

a lot more dreams to accomplish,
so I just, it's not over.

[music fades]

[utensil clinking]

Would you make a 100 million dollars
and be on a championship team

or make 250 and be on a bum
team, be, like, the guy?

Yeah, the money good, man.
But was up 60 games in a season.

- Man, I don't know, man.
- Yeah.

I don't know. That's gonna be hard.

Yeah, as a competitor
that would piss me off.

- [unintelligible stuttering]
- 250, that's a lot of money.

- Yeah, yeah…
- [Denzel laughing]

of course, you can go
to Cabo after the loss.

Yeah, you can go get the
Rolls Royce, of course,

like, real, like, James Bond shit.

Bro, I remember after a road
trip, bro, it's like, you know,

landing in LA or whatever
town at two in the morning.

We land, bro. I get off the plane.

I look to my left, I'd hear
[imitating rotors whirring].

I'm like, "What?"

The chopper right there taking Carter
back to San Diego at that day.

I was just like, "Wow."

I'm out here calling Uber to take me just
20 minutes, you know, outside the airport.

There's real levels to this.

[Denzel]
So, like, coming out,

did you knew you was gonna be
a first-rounder or like what?

So they said,
"You less than 1% chance lottery…

Um… "11% chance first round,
42% chance second round."

It was less than 5%
chance getting undrafted.

But when I saw 11% chance
first round, I'm like,

"They told me I had 1%
chance to go college,"

where you was like body of work.
Like, you did it all, player of the year.

- Tight shit.
- It was pretty easy.

Mine was like I still had
a lot of prove in college.

- Right.
- But you was like,

I remember when you kissed
the floor in your last year,

- I'm like, "Yeah, he's done."
- Yeah.

He's over with.
Like, I watched that game.

- I remember that game. It was over with.
- [Denzel laughing]

So it was crazy.

- Yeah, that's…
- That shit was nothing in it…

- That was dope.
- At all, man.

[dramatic music]

I've always sat there and questioned,
like, what did I do wrong?

Or I kind of overthink
the whole situation,

and sometimes you just
can't do anything about it.

It always doesn't work out
the way you think, you know.

You think you can come up here
and match up with these guys,

and you know, do this every day,

and takes a toll on your mental
and your physical health.

It's very hard, you know.
It just takes dedication, work,

and you know, you just
gotta stick with it.

[music fades]

[match hissing]

[soft praying]

[sniffles]

Good Shabbos, good
Shabbos, good Shabbos.

- Good Shabbos.
- Good Shabbos.

[sings] ♪ Shabbat shalom, hey
shabbat shalom, hey ♪

♪ Shabbat, shabbat, shabbat,
shalom, hey ♪♪

[dramatic music swells]

[Ryan] Grew up an Orthodox Jew
that loved playing basketball.

- [spectator] Yeah, go Ryan.
- [unintelligible chatter]

I went to Jewish schools my whole life
while playing basketball at the same time.

The two have been intertwined when I was
five years old all the way until now.

I said when Ryan was,
like, seven, eight,

I thought he was gonna go to the NBA
and they'd laugh at me.

In fact, Ryan used to say to me,

"Mom, stop. You know, you're putting
that kind of pressure on me,"

and I'm going, "I just know that's where
you're gonna go. Look out."

- [game sounds]
- [unintelligible chatter]

[Ryan] I had a bunch
of Big West, Ivy League,

and Patriot League division-one offers.

[music continues]

Ryan was recruited by
West Point, right, Army basketball,

and they sent him a
handwritten note every day

how much they wanted Ryan.

I actually verbally
committed my junior year,

but we had a anonymous call
to the Chabad rabbi there,

and he eventually pretty much said,

"If you're an Orthodox Jew,
it's not likely you're gonna be

an Orthodox Jew when you're at West Point.
It's gonna be tough."

We were making a plan for
Ryan to go to West Point

on a visit, and he said,
"I really have to tell you something."

And he goes, "I've changed my mind,

and I've decided to go to Yeshiva
University instead of West Point."

I said, "Why?"
And he said, "I wanna be a Jewish hero."

[upbeat song plays]

You know, I keep Shabbos.
I keep kosher.

This is who I am.
This is really important to me.

And at the end of the day,
I don't wanna sacrifice that

just to say I played
division-one basketball.

[announcer] Turell, three pointer.
Bang, Ryan Turell is on fire.

He felt like this Jewish
world didn't have a sports hero

that wore a yarmulke and said
that I'm devoted to the religion.

[announcer] What a performance.

Turell again, there it is,
51 points for Ryan Turell.

This is NBA-esque performance.

[song continues]

February 4th, the Long Island Nets game,

the Yeshiva fan base is
gonna come out to that game,

and the New York Jewish community
is gonna come out to that game.

- [music thuds]
- [cheering]

[audience chanting] We want Ryan.

- We want Ryan.
- [fans clapping]

[chanting]

We want Ryan.

[fans chanting indistinctly]

[audience cheering]

[announcer] And a big roar
as Ryan Turell will come

into the game for the
first time for Motor City,

and he has a big-time fan
club here at the Coliseum.

[audience cheering]

[announcer 2] Trying to become the first
Orthodox Jewish player to play in the NBA.

[announcer]
He is the first Orthodox Jewish player

- in the NBA G League, so step one.
- [announcer 2] There you go.

[fans chanting] RT, RT.

RT, RT.

- He's got, ugh.
- [Ryan] That's good D, check, check.

- [unintelligible chatter]
- [game sounds]

[rim clattering]

[Brad] It wasn't close.
He's nervous.

[Laurel] Down, Ryan,
shut 'em down, baby.

- [Brad] Doing good.
- [Laurel] Shut 'em down.

- [Coach] Yeah, yeah, good D.
- [buzzer blaring]

- Fuck yeah, the coach liked that.
- The coach said good D to him.

[Coach] Yes.

[announcer] ShawnDre' Jones in the game,
finds Turell in the corner.

- [net whooshing]
- [audience cheering]

- [gentle music swells]
- [crowd cheers]

[announcer] Turell, inside, nice
move from Ryan Turell.

Oh, I'm low, I'm low, I'm low.

Let's go. Let's go RT.

- [announcer] He knocks it down.
- [fans chanting indistinctly]

[audience cheering]

It's beautiful to see.
We were sitting with people.

They live an hour from
here, and the guy said,

"Because of Ryan, every kid
on our team now where's a yarmulke."

He's a folk hero to New York City.

This person, who's my
brother, means a lot to me

but it also means a lot to so many people.

[fans chatter indistinctly]

[camera clicking]

[audience cheering]

10 years ago, long-ass time ago…

high school comes around.

I go out there and start hooping,
and people start recognizing who I am,

starting to dunk on people as a freshman.
I had cameras following me,

Ballislife watching
every game I played in,

people from the Philippines,

people from China sending
me messages on Instagram.

Like, "Hey, like, you're
my favorite player."

- [announcer] Boom.
- [cheering]

That mix tape got ranked
top 10 of mix tapes all time.

Think I was number 10.

[interviewer] If you could go back
and talk to that Gabe York,

- what would you tell him?
- [sighs] Man, I would let him know

that the journey's not gonna be as
beautiful as it was in high school.

[dramatic music]

[water sloshing]

- [Gabe] The G League…
- [utensil clanking]

is unpredictable.

You never know what's gonna
happen on a day-to-day basis.

You never know what roster
spot's gonna change.

You never know who's gonna get a call-up,
where you might go.

Like, I'm playing for the Mad Ants.
I might get a call tomorrow, like,

"Yo, you gonna go play for the Bulls."
You know what I'm saying?

It's very unpredictable.

Last year, our last game
I think was, like, April 4th,

and on April 4th right after
the game, they're like,

"All right, y'all got one week,
and it's wrap."

- Time to get out.
- That's it.

That's all y'all get, one
week after the season.

[train roars]

But you know, that's how it goes.
You know, that's the profession we chose,

so you don't have a lot of security.
It's one year.

It's not even a year, right? It's six
months, so you got six months

to try and make something shake,
and if not,

it's right back to kind of
whatever's next for you.

This is my first year ever
as a professional

coming back to a team
for a second time.

If you look at my career,
it's Italy, D-League, Germany,

Lakeland, France, Fort Wayne,
and then Fort Wayne.

So it's the only time that I've
done something back to back.

The coaches, the GMs,
everybody, they know me.

They know what I bring to the table.
They know the work ethic.

They know the game that
I bring, and so it wasn't like,

"Damn, I'm coming somewhere and having
to start over new in year eight."

She makes everything happen over here.
Trust me on that.

And she always have Panera for lunch,
kale smoothie with a squash soup

and a turkey BLT sandwich
without the bacon.

- Is that right? Okay.
- Right, yes.

Just knowing what I've
already done this year

and what I've been capable of doing,
I think I've hit a stride.

- Couple nights ago, I had 41.
- [net whooshing]

- Night before that, I had 38.
- [net whooshing]

[audience cheering]

And now it's just a matter
of staying consistent,

and going out there on a nightly basis,
and trying to prove that.

- [ball thudding]
- [indistinct chatter]

Hey, real quick guys,
in this business, it's rare we get

to celebrate saying first time
in franchise history, right?

So when we do, we gotta come
together as a group…

- Celebrate.
- celebrate those moments.

So after a week of going four and one,

one after 32 a game, first
time in franchise history,

three time in one season,
player the week… Gabe York.

[cheering]

- Congrats, man.
- [Gabe] Appreciate it.

[player] Yes, sir, yes sir.

- [player 2] Hot again.
- [Gabe] Thanks, y'all. Appreciate that.

[Tom] Hurry up. Call it up, Gabe.
Let's get five lines on the baseline.

[Gabe] Family on me, family on three.
One, two, three.

- [all] Family.
- [Tom] Here we go.

[Gabe] There we go.
I'm on the back, I'm on the back.

Start ball side.

Gabe's just, he's a great kid
that works extremely hard.

- [ball thudding]
- [Tom] Shoot it.

He's a YouTube legend
basically in high school.

Everybody knows who he is.

[Gabe] I love it.
Y'all can still do that, yep.

He's an excellent player.

He just needs to catch a break
with the right NBA franchise

that needs his skillset
and size at his position.

[player] You're going to the rim.

What's going against him?
He's a little bit undersized for his size,

and he's a little bit older.

[player] Go, go, go, good.

[Tom] When NBA teams want guys that
are kind of at the end of their bench,

they wanna get younger guys
that they think they can develop.

Oh, shit, oh, shit, look who it is.

Boy, old superman.
Come here, hold up, dawg, you good?

- I'm good.
- Good to see you, man.

That shit tough. Look at him.
You see him?

You see what it is, yeah.

[player] Shoot, shoot, there you go.
There you go.

My name is Trevelin Queen, one and only.

I'm 25 years old, play for
the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

I'm on two-way currently
with Indiana Pacers.

TQ, he is an NBA talent.

You know, he was MVP of
the G League last year.

[announcer] Trevelin Queen dribbling,
look at his eyes up the entire time,

spin move, lay it in.
Okay, Trevelin Queen, we see you.

[Tom] He can play multiple positions.
He's got elite speed.

So I think he's right on the verge.

Every team I've been on, I've always kept
my little plaque thing, so I walk in here,

always feel amazed by it.
You know what I mean?

It's a blessing to even walk
in here and see my name.

I don't really do much in here game day.
I'm usually in the arena locker room,

so I just come here and see
if they grabbed my shoes

'cause you know, life of a two-way.

They don't really do everything for you,
you know what I mean, so.

Light broke. They gave me the locker
with a broken light,

but I'm gonna still shine anyways.

I've been with the big boys
for about eight, nine days, 10 days,

so it's been a nice little road trip.

Gotta play two, you gotta play two.
That's you, yeah, shift, shift, shift.

Shift, shift, shot.

Mad Ants, they've been my guys all year.
Like, I've been with them.

I've been going through more stuff with
them than I have so with the guys up top.

I'm watching 'em on TV, and
I see that they're doing

so much good when I'm not
there, so seeing them again,

just being able to acknowledge them
for that is just a great feeling.

- [Coach] Grab, grab.
- [net whooshing]

You got it.

The human torch, bro.

Shout out Gabe York, man.
Wish I could be just as cool as him.

- It's the man right there.
- [Gabe] Weak rip.

It's a torch, literally a human torch.
Like, it's not surprising at all.

What'd he have, 48 and 41, and then 39?
Like, that's his OD numbers, man,

but he's been doing that his whole career,
so I'm not understanding the NBA part

of him not being able to get the shot

when a whole bunch of team needs
a scorer and a shooter, so.

Right this, right,
right, right, right, right.

- [Tom] There you go.
- [Gabe] Shift, shift, shift.

- [Tom] Good job.
- [Gabe] Shift.

Good job.

When TQ is with us, I feel bad for Gabe

because he doesn't get the
opportunities offensively

that he does when TQ's not here.

- Back.
- [Tom] Good job. Everybody down here.

It has hurt him, and he's had some games

when TQ's here where he only
gets eight or nine shots,

and he's usually getting 15 to 20.

[dramatic music]

[engine humming]

[players chatting indistinctly]

He's standing in my way,
and I'm standing in his way.

And that's how it works for him.
He's a two-way, so he's already got

a edge up, a step up on me.

And so it's like you take that
to heart, and it's not like,

I don't wish no bad will.
I don't wish nothing bad for you.

I hope you prosper.
I hope you get everything

that you're looking for in your life,

but at the end of the day,
I hope it happens for me, too.

[announcer] Queen on the breakout.
Queen to Bay, Queen again.

He is feeling it.

I want it to happen for me just as much
as I want it to happen for the next guy.

And so what does that do? It just creates
an environment of competitive nature…

where, if you're not in your right
mindset, it could be detrimental.

[train horn blaring]

[dramatic music]

- [shoes squeaking]
- [grunting]

[announcer] York, his three is good.

Two guys in the face on him,
and he drains his first three of the game.

Heat check from York, and he drains it,
three for three from the three-point line.

[announcer 2] He's one of those guys
that he can hit 10 threes tonight.

[announcer] Past week,
he averaged 31.8 points per game,

shot over 47% in the game.

- [announcer 2] Gabe York.
- [whistle blows]

I'm the only one on a game-to-game basis
that gets defended the way I get defended.

There's nothing I can say to you as a GM.

Like, my game has proven
in leaps and bounds

over the last two years, showcased
that, you know, I belong where I belong.

If you're a GM, I'm just
like, you gotta go watch tape,

and if you don't believe
it, then that's on you.

- [shoes squeaking]
- [unintelligible chatter]

- [rim clattering]
- [audience cheering]

[Gabe] And that's my point.

[player] Ain't got to do him like, man.
That's dirty.

[announcer]
NBA G League player of the week…

impressing yet again tonight.

[announcer 2] What does that
show, what does that tell you

- about who Gabe York is?
- [whistle blows]

[announcer] Gabe York
another 35-plus-point game,

his seventh of the season.

[announcer 2] He doesn't belong here.

Mentally, it is tough. It wears on you.
It grinds on you 'cause you work so hard.

So it's like, am I ever really
gonna get an opportunity

to show what I can do and play?

So you just kind of working
and waiting for the opportunity

at the next level to prove yourself
in front of the NBA community.

[dramatic music]

[announcer] McClung is the
first G League player ever

to participate in the
slam dunk competition.

He was signed this week by the
76ers to a two-way contract.

[announcer] Mac McClung has to come
up with something unique

because the first reaction's
gonna be like, "Who?"

- [audience cheering]
- [hip-hop music playing]

[announcer] Mac McClung
has saved the dunk contest.

[cheering, laughing]

[announcer] A G Leaguer
has saved the dunk contest.

- He's got a prop here.
- [announcer 2] High school jersey.

[announcer] Yeah.

- [rim clattering]
- [roaring cheer]

- [announcer ]It's over…
- [announcer 2] It's a wrap.

- It is over, ladies and gentlemen.
- [announcer 2] That's a wrap.

- [music continues]
- [cheering continues]

[audience cheering]

- [unintelligible chatter]
- [cheering continues]

Oh, my goodness.

[dramatic sting]

[street sounds]

I seen Mac last night in the club.
He was lit.

- I bet he was. [laughing]
- Turnt up over the dunk contest.

- Boy, he deserved it, though.
- Yeah.

That was the first, like,
actually, like, good dunks

- I've seen since Aaron Gordon…
- Wow.

- Zach LaVine, like, excitement.
- Yeah.

So it was cool.
Good for him, good for the G League.

Who woulda thought I'd be in
the All-Star events, though?

I mean, it's not the real NBA one,

but it's still participating
in the All-Star event.

Took you work to get there.

Hope my knee don't hurt when
I get to this gym, though.

If my knee don't hurt, I'm going for MVP.
My shit hurt, I don't know.

[Gabe] It's good to be
here, another opportunity.

NBA Scouts execs, they get to see me,
see what I bring to the table.

[thematic music]

I'm trying to get there.

[announcer]
This is NBA All-Star weekend.

Everybody does not get to play,
so just to even be here is a big deal.

[music intensifies]

[music continues]

[buzzer blaring]

[announcer continues] Ball's in play,
and captain Scoot Henderson

starts things off for team Scoot.

[Scoot yells] Hey.

[hip hop music plays]

- [players yell]
- Nah.

- [announcer] Mac making history.
- [buzzer blaring]

As a G Leaguer, you have so
much to represent out there.

Oh, I mean,
I felt like it was a privilege.

I really wanted to show out for the
G League, and I haven't taken it all in.

It's kind of a blur right now.
So just trying to enjoy the moment.

- [music continues]
- [buzzer]

- [net whooshing]
- [cheering]

[announcer]
Feverish pace here, through the legs

and off the backboard to Scoot Henderson.

[audience cheering]

[announcer 2] They gave us a dunk
contest to end the game.

[music continues]

[announcer] And that will do it. Team Luka
wins it, your final score 178 to 162.

- Yes, sir, I'm ready.
- Good luck to you the rest of the season.

[audience cheering]

[street noise]

[thematic music]

The next up game was
an opportunity to showcase my talent,

and I wanted to be in it
just to say I was in it.

I feel like I was on a path to
get signed at All-Star break,

and I broke my ankle.

[announcer] Uh-oh, Mason Jones goes down,
and he is in pain.

And I was on a fast break,
and the player just stuck his foot out.

I tried to avoid his foot,
and I just heard a pop.

That thing got swelling real, real quick.

Went to go get an MRI, found
out I broke a bone in my foot.

[dramatic music continues]

I was on a great path this year.

I know a lot of people
was texting my agent,

and a lot of people was telling me, like,
"You're real, real, real, real close,

not just being in the
NBA but to sticking."

It's real hard right now just knowing
that I wanna come back, I wanna play,

but it's something I can't rush back.

Already tried to play a
game, and it didn't go well.

My ankle wasn't really responding
like I thought it would so.

[announcer through phone]
Huge impact right now,

he's made his last seven shots.
He's got Arkansas within two.

Jayhawks with the ball and the lead,
trip to the Sweet 16 on the line…

Okay, you down two.
Get to 149.

[announcer continues]
Razorbacks a team with so much talent,

and as Eric Musselman said,

"We have the kind of team we
can beat anybody anytime."

Then, my NBA dream was sparked
my junior year in college

with Coach Musselman
and Arkansas Razorbacks.

[announcer continues]
Davis, oh, he scores it.

Okay, okay, Devo.

- [announcer] We're tied at 61.
- Come on.

He came in the locker room, he was like,

"Mase, I'm not gonna give you anything.
I want players in that gym,"

'cause in my head, that's how I knew,

"Okay, I think this is a coach
that's gonna take me to the next step."

[announcer] Boy, Mason Jones
steps up from long range.

And Jones just continues to dominate.

From that day forward, I was like,

"Okay, Mus, I'm gonna do
everything you ask me to do.

I'm gonna wake up in the
morning and be in the gym,"

and it paid off.

[announcer] Jones for three.
He makes it in.

[audience cheering]

[Mason] I end up being
the SEC player of year.

[audience chanting]

[announcer]
And the crowd speaks its mind.

[thematic music]

[announcer through phone]
And Arkansas can add to their lead.

Me and Mus always talk.
We talked this morning.

I sent him a message at 5:00.

- [interviewer] What'd you say?
- Another day to be great.

[announcer continues]
Three seconds to go, Arkansas by two,

Hit's the bank.
Arkansas gets it in…

Three seconds left.
Yes.

[announcer continues]
Oh, that's it, and the Razorbacks…

Oh, we won.

[announcer continues]
survive and advance…

- Ah, we won.
- [announcer continues] to the Sweet 16.

- Arkansas wins it.
- [cheering fades]

- [mellow music]
- See what I'm saying?

That's why you got pesos…
just to give away.

Kindness is the best form of life.

[festive music]

[unintelligible chatter]

Here you go, little man, this for you.

Always.

Oh, look at the dog.

Oh, Mexico a different vibe.
You gotta come see it for yourself.

Can I get M and J?

MJ…
For me, MJ.

- [paper rustling]
- [music continues]

Oh, my God.

[continues off screen]
It's crazy that I get this much love

out here in Mexico knowing that I'm new.

Thank you.

This all came from helping the Capitanes,
just being able to play in front of them

and also just being
able to display who I am

off the court and on the court.

I feel like Mexico City
is phenomenal, really.

And I'm from Dallas, Texas.

Now, I'm playing with the
Mexico City Capitanes.

[music fades]

Yes, sir, Mus.

Look, Mus, and I've been doing
this film watching the game.

You just gotta get a shout out to them.
You gotta say what's up to the film.

This is my guy, Mus, Sweet 16,
[yells] baby!

[continues yelling]

Yes, sir, coach, that's all I needed.

Yes, sir.
Whoo, whoo.

[upbeat music]

Whoo.

[upbeat music continues]

Whoo.

[upbeat music continues]

Whoo team!
Let's go, Caps.

[chants] Capitanes.

[cheering swells]

[announcer] The Capitanes leading scorer,
Mason Jones, again sidelined in this game.

[overlapping chatter]

Oh, good pass, G.

[announcer 2] One thing that Mason Jones
has not stopped doing

was being a part of this team.

Justin, you know what you got.
You got zero.

[announcer 2] If his body's not ready,
he mentally is ready to come back.

- [announcer] The Capitanes miss him.
- [fades]

[gentle music]

[leaves rustling]

[wind gusting]

[Scoot yells] Mommy!

- What?
- What's the Wi-Fi?

[Crystal] Um, let me ask C.J.

- C.J. know all the Wi-Fi passwords.
- He does know all the Wi-Fi.

Let me see. I think it's…

- That's not sweet, though.
- Can I share it with somebody?

That's not mom's cake.
That's just a cake that I bought.

- Yeah, that's not mom's. I can tell.
- I'm sorry.

What's the Wi-Fi, C.J.?

Hello.
I'm at the house in Vegas.

- [Scoot] Why are you screaming, though?
- Because I,

Okay. Can you look it up now?
See?

We got the same password.

Yeah, so I don't understand
why people keep changing it

because it makes my life very difficult.

- Did that work?
- No.

Actually, it might have.

- Oh, it did work.
- See? I'm great.

- Good job.
- All right.

- Okay.
- Thanks.

You good?

[audience cheering through computer]

- [Scoot] Whoa.
- [announcer] That's rude, folks.

[Scoot] Thanks. [laughs]

What is this?

- Russell Westbrook.
- And who?

Just him.

- [Crystal] Oh.
- [Scoot] Being him.

- [Crystal] Him being him? [laughs]
- [Scoot] Oh, my.

He just go with emphasis every time…

every time,
whether it's a layup, pass.

[announcer] Westbrook,
shows the basketball, goes to the rim.

- [roaring applause]
- [announcer 2] Wow, that is nasty, man.

You don't have to watch it.
It's 17 minutes.

All right.

Good job.

I've always been around
my family, you know.

I'm just a family-oriented person.

Sometimes last year, when I was only 17,
I was in my hotel room just by myself

not really having anybody to talk to

'cause after the game it'd
be, like, 2:00 in Georgia,

so I couldn't call my folks or anything.

You know, it was a tough time for sure,

just trying to handle it on
my own and really just trying

to just breathe through it

and keep my head where
it's supposed to be.

[interviewer] Pretend like we
don't know anything about you.

Who is Scoot Henderson?

Scoot Henderson is, you know, just a kid

from Marietta, Georgia, that
had a dream to feed his family

and to have generational wealth.

- You know, that's a new one.
- Which one is that?

Ooh-ee, I was asking for
the white with the red, too.

- What's the interior? What the interior…
- It's a red interior.

I've always wanted to get my
mom and dad, like, a house.

Get whatever my sisters want,
whatever my brothers want.

They always like, "I want this."
I'm like, "Bet, like, bet, got you."

- I don't know about that.
- Which one you getting?

[Crystal] Nothing.
We not getting nothing.

- The Vette?
- A Vette?

What am I gonna do with a Vette?

- Nothing, but that's what you was saying.
- Nah, I said a McLaren.

- I can't own no Vette.
- Oh, actually, you said McLaren.

- No.
- I can't own no Vette. For what?

- What'd you do with a McLaren?
- [Crystal] Nothing.

- Something better than a Vette.
- All right, y'all good with me?

- I wanna a McLaren. You get one.
- [Chris] Nah.

- What you really needs a…
- [Scoot] I need something.

- [Chris] Prius.
- No, bro, no, no.

- [Crystal laughing]
- You be real low key.

Nah, I ain't never been low key.

- I know, but you gonna have to.
- [dramatic music swells]

I'm excited when we get at
these boys in the league.

Let these boys know what time is.

- Action.
- Tear they ass up.

- [announcer] On the take Henderson.
- [cheering, laughing]

[announcer] Oh, my goodness…

Ignite is, like, the center of attention.
Every other G League team hated us.

[announcer] National TV is here because
of Scoot Henderson, because of Ignite.

The teams who come and
play, they know that, too.

[Jalen] Just because you had those
young guys, and we trying to get drafted.

- [announcer] But Scoot Henderson hacked.
- [whistle]

[Jalen] People trying to
come at us, embarrass us.

- Hey!
- [overlapping chatter]

Every chance that they had got,
they tried to, you know, get at us.

- [whistle]
- [Jalen continues] It was good, though.

It helped us because when you get
to the NBA, it's only gonna get times 10.

Nothing compares to this path, man.
Like, we have a lot of eyes on us,

and you know, what
better chance for someone

that's trying to go back to the league

than to play us where all the eyes are,
where all the scouts are watching.

You know, I've went against
player that's trying to kill

every time down the floor,
that's gonna try to stop me,

so that's kinda how
I grew these past few years.

- [faded fans cheering]
- [air whooshing]

- [shoes squeaking]
- [ball thudding]

We got nine games left.
We're two games outta the playoffs.

Like, there's a small margin for error.

We've done such a good job
these first 23 games, right?

Reward yourselves with these
last nine games, right?

- All right, bring it in.
- [overlapping chatter]

- [player] Let's do it, y'all.
- [player 2] All right, together on three.

- One, two, three.
- [all] Together.

- Just, right underneath the kneecap.
- [Therapist] Yeah.

[unintelligible practice chatter[

Bro, just 'cause the cameras
are here doesn't mean you gotta…

get some treatment
or whatever this is, bro.

[Denzel laughing] Bro.

- [Alex] You old, bro.
- I'm a old head in the G League for real.

Yesterday, one of they
players, he funny for this…

- he talking about, "So who got OG?"
- [all laughing]

He was talking about me.
I'm like, "Ah, I'm a OG, okay, all right."

It was, like, one of those
slick, disrespectful type shit.

I was like, "That's a funny one.
That's a funny one."

[dramatic music swells]

[Alex] I think the biggest
thing for Denzel this year is

that he's realized what he needs
to do to get back to the NBA.

He's gotta be a bit of a
different player than he was

when he was in the NBA and when
he got drafted out of Michigan State.

[music intensifies]

- Go, go, go, go, go.
- [player] Go, man, going to the left.

[Alex] They all know he can play-make
and play off others.

- [net whooshing]
- [cheering]

[announcer] Beautiful feed from Valentine.
His vision is impeccable.

We can't just assume
they're making shots.

Like, literally guard 'em like that.
Like, absolutely disrespect them.

[continues] His meal ticket to get back
to the NBA is to show that he can guard.

- [player] Hey.
- [Alex] No, oh, my God.

[continues off screen]
And he can make an open shot.

[announcer] Out to Valentine,
left open for three straight away.

- It won't go, rebound tipped out white.
- Fuck.

[thematic music]

[Alex]
We tell the guys all the time,

the Boston Celtics aren't looking
necessarily for the best player.

They're not. They're looking
for the guy from the G League

that can help them win and impact winning.

Every possession matters…

- [player groans]
- [music intensifies]

[Alex] He knows that.

[Denzel] Fuck, man.

[announcer] So the Lakers take two here,
winning this one tonight 114-98.

[Denzel] I can just take it day by day.

And I'm human, so I deal
with emotions and feelings,

but I don't know, you gotta
take the good with the bad.

You know, we're out here for a week.

We're gonna enjoy it, enjoy the weather,
enjoy the vibes, and make the most of it.

Just kind of just get
my mind on basketball.

[interviewer] Does basketball
come up in your music a lot?

- Yeah.
- Yeah?

I rap about, like, when I'm going
through, like, stuff that I'm doing.

So it's just a way for me
to vent and kinda just like,

I feel like when I make
music I'm fully present.

Like, I ain't think about nothing else.

When I'm in that booth,
and I'm just like, got

the headphones in, I'm in my zone, like,
I ain't thinking about nothing,

so that's where I feel peace
at is like being in the booth,

- being in the studio with my friends.
- [Brandon] It's like an escape.

Yeah, it's like an escape.

[practicing lyrics]
♪ Playing like I'm Popovich ♪

♪ I'm coming to play
Like I'm pop ♪♪

[all groaning]

One more time, one more
time, ah, one more time.

[off tune]
♪ Time, is that itty bitch for the dog ♪

[Brandon] 'Cause I wanna
go back in like that.

- That's hard.
- [Brandon] That's hard as hell.

[laughs, sings]
♪ Is that itty bitch for the dog ♪♪

- [both laughing]
- [Denzel] Oh, shit.

Like, me being in LA is
because of him, you know.

Me traveling the world, seeing new things,

experiencing new things is
because of him having faith in me

and just being a good friend to him.

I thought about, like, maybe,
like, one day in the future,

like, if it comes around
to it, start my own label,

and trying to put people on
for my city, Lansing, Michigan.

I used to have a studio
in my crib in Chicago,

and me and KG would probably work, like,
three times a week at least.

- It's definitely a good escape for sure.
- [KG] For sure, for sure.

[gentle music swells]

[waves lapping]

I've always enjoyed making music.
It's a good hobby,

but basketball is
the most important thing,

and that's what I'm doing right now, so…

I just feel like I'm a winner
just in general.

I definitely got that on my side.

I'm gonna come in, and be
positive, and work extremely hard

every single day, and I'm
gonna be a good person,

so I bring a lot to the table.

- [birds squawking]
- [music continues]

But then it also is like, it's that
devil on your shoulder saying,

"You're a failure.
Why are you in the G League still?

[waves crashing]

If you're so good, then you
know, why are you here?"

So it's like I got the angel
and the devil talking to me.

I tend to listen to the
angel a little bit more

because I don't
know what's gonna happen

in the future, but I
just believe in myself.

[music continues]

[street sounds]

[items clattering]

So we don't use electronics from sundown
Friday night till sundown Saturday night,

no phones, TV, car…

so I need to be close to
the gym to make the walk,

so a lot of the times I stay
at a different hotel than my team.

It's really cool for a team
to, you know, be so accepting

and understanding of that situation
and helping me out through it.

What I do on Shabbat, you
know, since you can't use

a microwave or, you know, cook anything,

I bring a hot plate with
me on the road trips.

You just plug that in, you can
put your food on top of that.

Pretty much on every road trip,
I bring my food, you know,

to keep kosher and whatnot,
so I keep it old reliable right here.

That's what I call it.
It's the ice chest that I bring it in.

I got, you know, my pastrami blocks and
rice pretty much, I'll get,10 of these.

Like, people walk, they see
me, like, lining these up,

and they're like,
"Oh, you must really like these."

And shout out to Rabbi Levy
of Habad out in Fort Wayne.

He supplied me with the challah bread…

that is much needed and the grape juice
that is needed for the Shabbat festivals.

[gentle music swells]

[street sounds]

To be traveling to a place like
Sioux Falls, or Fort Wayne,

or, you know, all over the map,
and having, you know, Habads coming out

and helping me out with food, you know,
it's been super helpful,

and it's cool that they're
a huge part of this journey,

and I know that it'd be really
hard to complete this journey

if I didn't have all the people around me.

- [buzzer blaring]
- Ky, Ky, Kyler.

Who you got?

When I get it in the game,

I just try to give as
much energy as possible

and just be ready for the
opportunity when it comes.

[announcer] Ryan Turell off the bench
for the Cruise chases it down.

Ky, Ky, Ky, Ky.

This season was a real
learning experience for me.

Coming from a division-three
school, it was a big jump,

but I feel like I've made
big strides in my game.

- [announcer] Turell with space… connects!
- [Ryan] Time out.

- [whistle blows]
- [audience cheering]

And I've definitely gotten
used to the size and speed.

[announcer] Turell…

[announcer 2] Trevelin Queen all over him,
one of the better defenders in the league.

[announcer] A fade away.

[announcer 2] That was a
big-time bucket there by Turell.

He had to deal with a lot.

I could play at this level.
And I'm excited to keep getting better.

[announcer] And hard looking for space…
Turell, what a move, off the window.

[audience roars]

[announcer 2 chuckles]
Great footwork by the young fella.

We're calling it the spinning dreidel.
Saw a couple of comments on Instagram,

or Twitter, or whatever.
It's spinning dreidel.

I like that name.
That's a good nickname for that move.

[announcer] Saturday night, and at
Summit City, a rookie with some savvy.

[gentle music]

I always wanted to play in Israel.

Even growing up, that
was always a dream to me.

And even if the NBA dream happens as well,
that would be the perfect career ending

would be going
to play in Israel for of couple years.

But right now, I feel like the right move
is to stay the G League path.

You know, when I was growing up,
I never thought the NBA was attainable,

but I kept working hard
and kept getting better,

and you know, now I do
believe it's possible,

and I just gotta keep
working to get there.

I coulda went overseas easily,
and played, and did all that,

but I felt like I was good enough,

and the time was gonna come
for me to get on a team

where they'll let me be me and
use my abilities, you know,

to the highest level, so
I decided to stay here,

and it took five, six years
for that opportunity to come.

[ball thudding]

Early probably, like, year
one through year three,

it was kinda rough,
but I did get a call-up

at the end of my first year
to the Milwaukee Bucks,

and you know, that kinda
gave me more confidence

that I know that I can do
this, and I can get a 10-day.

[ball thudding]

Last season, I got a 10-day contract
with the Orlando Magic.

That was my first actual NBA
opportunity at 28 years old.

[net whooshing]

So even just to hear that,
it was special for me

to get that call at 8:30 in
the morning from my agent.

Like, "Yo, like, you got your 10-day, man.
Like, congratulations, like, it's time."

- [ball thuds]
- [whooshing]

Those 10 days I was gonna give my all to.

Like, I knew, after that 10
days, I was gonna get signed,

and I know what comes after that.

- [ball thudding]
- [grunts]

[whooshing]

They asked me, "Yo, what time
are you trying to leave?"

I said, "I can get to the
airport in fucking 30 minutes.

When you want me to get out?" I was so
ready to leave and start that journey.

- [thudding]
- [squeaking]

Get on the flight, land
in Orlando at about 5:15.

By 5:40, I'm taking the Q test.
They called me 15 minutes later.

"Yo, like, came back positive,
but like, we're gonna do the PCR.

It'll come back at 6:00 AM,
and we'll let you know in the morning."

[dramatic hum]

I don't sleep, and I'm
just looking at my phone

just waiting, like, "Hurry up and call me.
Hurry up and call me."

They called me at, like, 7:15.
The doc's on the phone with the manager,

and that's when I knew it was bad.
The doc starts talking,

and I don't even remember
the whole conversation.

I just remember him starting
off with, "Yo, I'm sorry."

- And then after that, it was like, oof.
- [music swells]

Like, a whole cloud just
fucking went over me,

and it was just like, this is
not happening to me right now.

Like, this is not, I didn't feel like it
was real. I didn't feel like,

"Damn, my first NBA opportunity
is gonna come down to this?", like…

And I felt like
I didn't have no favor from God.

[dramatic music swells]

At that point, I called my
girlfriend, and I was crying.

You know, I was bawling crying,
and I was just asking like,

"What should I do at this point?"

Like, "I don't feel like
this is worth it anymore."

What she was able to do for
me was just be there for me,

be a shoulder to cry
on, to just hear me out,

and hear my frustrations,
and hear my cries,

and for who I am and
what my career has been.

It was just like, "Bro, like,
are you gonna stop and quit,

or is this just, you know,
another one of those trials,

another one of those
life lessons and battles

that you had to learn 'cause
God's telling you, like,

you still not ready for this shit?"

[Adina]
Gabe works extremely, extremely hard.

When we were home in the summer,

he worked out at least
three or four times a day.

I couldn't get him out of the gym.

And I think a little part of
his happiness is sacrificed

just because he's not
where he wants to be.

So truly, I just, like, always make sure

I put at least a little
bit of positivity into him.

He's working on that part of
himself of getting fully happy

being where he's at in his career.

You know what time it is.

[Gabe] She's one of the people that
has really helped change

my mental aspect on understanding
that you need to enjoy

the process of what you're going through.

You need to see that there
is beauty in the struggle.

You know what I mean? There is beauty
in the trial that you're going through.

It's all just setting you up
for whatever that main war is

that's coming up in your
life, whatever it may be.

And for me, you know,
I think my war is the NBA.

[announcer] Number 32,
[louder] Gabe York.

[audience cheering]

[Gabe] Eight years I've been
fighting to get to the NBA,

battling all these lessons,
but I think once I get there,

that's gonna be the hardest part.

The moment you touch those doors,

it becomes harder than
anything that you've done

even to get to that point
to try and stay there.

[player] Come on, come on.

[announcer]
Deep three, Gabe York, of course.

[announcer 2] That was a practice three.
You can't do that.

You can't give him one of those.
He's entirely too good.

[Gabe continues] And I think that's what
has set me up over these last eight years

is to be ready for that opportunity.

I think that's why I am who I am today
and where I'm at today.

Get in there.

And why I'm okay with
being in the G League

again for a third full year for my caliber
of player and what I've been able to do.

[announcer] York… book it.

- [audience cheering]
- [player] Good shot, Gabe.

And that's where I'm gonna continue

to prove and showcase
that I belong in the NBA.

[dramatic music continues]

[Coach] Let's move, move. Feels like
dawn, don't got no miles on your body.

- You're, like, walking.
- [practice sounds]

Scoot, that's my little brother.

Been with each other
for the last two years,

we have this connection
and this brotherhood.

[gentle music]

[Eugene] Right now, we about to
go check out my son, EJ.

He's having a baseball game.

- He gonna go crazy seeing Scoot.
- [Scoot chuckles]

[Eugene continues] Scoot is one of the
best players in the world,

but he still takes the time
out to do what's important.

- [baseball bat clanging]
- [overlapping crowd chatter]

[Eugene] What'd you think?

- [all groan]
- [Eugene] Oh, safe.

Feel like Pooh, like, he's,
like, similar to my dad almost

just, like, how he thinks
about things, you know, uh…

and I'm all ears whenever he speaks.

What made baseball so popular, bro?

- Man, it's America's…
- It's a great sport.

- It's like America's sport.
- [Scoot] Yeah.

It's hard, though.

[Eugene] Keep your eyes on it.

- [bat clanging]
- [cheering swells]

- [spectator] Let's go, yeah, let's go.
- [overlapping cheering]

- [Scoot] Yes! Keep going.
- [Eugene] What you say?

Oh, that was a home run?

Him coming by, and
watching EJ play baseball,

and taking pictures with the
kids, and just being Scoot,

and I wished more people
can see how special he is

and how big his character is.

- [friend] Two, three.
- [camera clicking]

[friend] Good job, man.

So when y'all see the NBA draft coming
up, he's gonna be on the NBA draft.

- No, he's not. He's staying on.
- [all laughing]

[Eugene] No, I mean, when y'all play
NBA 2K 24, he's gonna be on there.

[laughing] Yeah, now get on outta there.

[upbeat music]

- [player] Yeah.
- [player 2] There he is. There he is.

- Oh, that's hard.
- [Coach] You gotta set a screen on, Neil.

- [audience cheering]
- [Scoot] Oh, he can't guard you.

[announcer]
Johnson gets the lay up there,

getting the start in
place of Scoot Henderson.

They decided to shut Scoot down.

The thought is he's shown enough, right?

He's expected to be a to-two
pick in the upcoming draft,

not play the last four
games or so for the Ignite.

[announcer 2] Yep, that means he's
done his work. He put his work in.

He put his time in, and he's
gonna be rewarded later on.

There's not just one journey to having
a long career in the NBA.

There's a lot of different ways to get
to where you wanna be.

A lot of guys like me who aren't drafted
have a long career, still here.

A lot of guys who were drafted above me
are gone, so as long as you keep working,

stay consistent, and you
really love the game,

then you never know when your break

or when your lucky day is
to show that you belong.

[dramatic music]

[announcer] At Chase Fieldhouse
in Wilmington, Delaware,

it's the regular season finale.

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants visiting
the Delaware Blue Coats.

For the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, it's simple.
Win, and they're in the G League playoffs.

Lose, and their season is over.

- [game sounds]
- [grunting]

- [player] Hey, good shot.
- [player 2] Red, red.

- [player] Shot.
- [net whooshing]

[audience cheering]

[player] That's tough.

[whistle blows]

That was on TQ?

Don't start that soft-ass calls, bro.
Don't start them soft-ass calls.

[announcer 2] We know Queen's
gonna be very aggressive,

former MVP of the G League.

[announcer 2]
He went out with two fouls early.

Gabe, dribble thumb, dribble thumb.

[announcer] Gabe York's so hard
to guard off those screen-aways

'cause he can turn the corner
and drive it,

and obviously,
he can sit behind it and shoot it.

[Seth] Yeah, it's they ball.
No, all right, so get out, my bad, my bad.

- [player] Ah.
- [player] That way, that way, that way.

[whistle blows]

- [dramatic music continues]
- You got Gabe.

- [shoes squeaking]
- [player] Real fucking pass.

[announcer]
Queen back in the game

doing what he does best,
scoring the basketball.

77 away, here we go.

[ball thudding]

[Queen] Grabbed my whole wrist, bro.

That's a foul, yo.
What the fuck, yo?

[announcer] This is a scrappy game.
Both teams are definitely competing.

You see the Mad Ants
competing for their lives,

and you see the Blue Coats saying, "Hey
not on our watch, not on our home court."

[Queen] I never get that fucking call.

- No, Gabe's hand, TQ.
- [player] Just let him have it.

- Just let him have it.
- [Queen] I'm not coming out, bro.

Bro, I'm not coming out.
I'm not coming out, I'm not coming out.

[announcer] He's got three.

Just let him have it, bro.
Keep his head cool, bro.

[announcer 2] The Mad Ants need a win,
and they're in the playoffs.

- [players grunt]
- [announcer continues] If they lose,

- their season is over.
- [music swells]

[soft grunting]

[announcer 2]
Trevelin Queen… no.

[player] Shot.

Fuck.

[announcer 2] So far in this second half,
a 14 nothing Delaware Blue coats run.

[whistle blows]

That's off as shit, yo.
That's off as shit.

That shit light for real, all right.
I'm telling you.

- [whistle blows]
- [player] Right here.

[announcer] Somebody just
got thrown outta the game.

[announcer 2] So Queen got teed up,
and he's ejected from the game.

The Mad Ants will play the rest of this
game down 11 without Trevelin Queen.

That's insane, man.
That's crazy.

Gotta have some urgency, white.
Gotta have some urgency, white.

[announcer]
Fort Wayne, energy not there,

they really got to find
a way here to turn it up

they're gonna have a
chance to win this game.

[announcer 2]
Their season on the line.

[music intensifies]

- [Gabe] Hey.
- [whistle blows]

[announcer 2] Attack on,
four-point play chance, York.

[overlapping chatter]

[game sounds]

[announcer 2] Four…
He's got it going and more.

I'm him, I'm him.

[announcer] It's been the three-point
shooting of Gabe York.

He's getting hot at the right times. Mad
Ants still alive in his basketball game.

[player] Shoot it.

- [net whooshing]
- That's a fact, that's a fact.

[announcer] I tell you what,
Gabe York wants to win this game.

He's fighting. He's in there rebounding,
shooting threes, driving the basketball.

He's everywhere.

[announcer] We talked about wanting
to see some fire from Fort Wayne.

- This is it. This is for your season.
- [announcer 2] Stockton says no.

- Three on, oh, York.
- [Gabe screaming]

The throwdown, he's got 26.

[announcer] You gotta credit his effort
in the second half.

He kinda ignited them to being able
to feel like

they could still
win the basketball game.

[announcer 2] Fort Wayne Mad Ants,
for the first time since 2018,

they are going to the
NBA G League playoffs.

[Gabe] Yes, sir, white.
Yes, sir, white.

I told you I got you, boy. Hell, yeah.

Come on, white.

- Hell, yeah.
- [overlapping chatter]

- [overlapping cheering]
- [thematic music]

[interviewer] For someone who's
never stepped foot on the floor,

what's something
that you would compare basketball to

to help them understand how it feels?

Wow, that's a question right there.

[thematic music swells]

I think it's just the closest
thing to, like, pure joy.

When you see the ball go in the basket,
or when you stop a defender,

or no matter what it is,
like, there's just something about it

that, like, I'm not ever
thinking of sorrow, or pain,

or anything when I'm playing
a game of basketball.

It's just all love, and joy,
and, like, fulfillment, I guess.

Joy is definitely something I play with.
If I'm out there having fun, talking shit,

being cool with my teammates,
and just being present out there,

I'm definitely playing well,
so I definitely love basketball.

It feels, like, perfect
almost, like the sweat…

you gassed out, and you dead tired,
and when you start to push yourself,

it's, like, something I needed
to keep me, like, focused

and to keep me having my eye on the prize.

Everything else goes away.
I just feel like,

when I get on the court, I'm excited.
I'm in joy.

The definition of basketball is life.

It gives you everything
that you put towards it.

All the energy that you feed into it,
it brings it back to you.

[uptempo music]

Basketball, it's love.
You know, just being on the court is…

where I feel most at home, I guess.

To be able to play is a gift, you know,

and I thank God every day
that he allows me to do that.

I think I'd compare it to,
like, really going to a movie.

You never know how the movie's gonna go.

- [dramatic sting, fades]
- [birds chirping]

[gentle music]

I had a great season this year,
but unfortunately, I broke my ankle.

Before I got hurt, we was 12 and 5.

We were second in the West,
and it just took a left turn,

and you know, it's just sad
that we didn't make the playoffs

knowing we was one of the best teams.

At the end of the day, like,
everything happens for a reason,

so just here in Dallas
getting better every day,

pushing my body, getting stronger.

Having this injury at the worst time
when you're playing

the best basketball of the year wasn't
planned, but it was planned from God.

[players chattering indistinctly]

[continues]
Every road is not the same.

And that's what I'm learning year by year.

God is putting me in positions
to continue to be patient.

[upbeat music]

I don't always start from the bottom.
The situations always haven't been easy,

but I always came out
of it 'cause of hard work.

- [Trainer] Eight.
- [Mason] That's one of the big things

that I took from Kobe, favorite
player, and Kobe was like,

"Don't rest in the middle.
Rest at the end."

[Trainer continues] Three, two,
come on, one, good work.

[Mason groaning]
Can't cheat this. [laughs]

I feel like this is a big
summer for me going up.

Um, I'm 24, and had two
great seasons in the G.

I had two good seasons in the league,

and I feel like this is
just the determined factor

of what I wanna be and how
I wanna see the future.

There's still guys down
there fighting, you know,

to get out just waiting for that right
call-up and that right time,

you know, all the work in the summer
is just preparation, you know,

for the goal that you're trying to get,
which is to show scouts and stuff

that, you know, I've
been working on my game

and ready to take that next leap.

[Mason exhaling]
[continues off screen]

Once I'm done with rehab, I'm gonna be
one of the best players of the NBA.

I'm just gonna be more
ready for it this time

because of the G League.

[distorted thudding]

The learning lesson was,
like, sometimes, like,

you have to control what you control.

And that's why I feel
I need to tell my story

so they can understand who
Mason Jones is before it's too late.

You have to try to expand yourself

so that you kind of become
an indispensable commodity.

As the summer goes, and as the team change

and all that other stuff,
look to expand your role.

You know what I'm saying?
Work out with your development coach

and try to see realistically
what the team might need

and where you can fill it.

So starting here, 10.

[Ryan] Dash, he's been my trainer
since eighth, ninth grade…

and every off season I've
made a big jump in my game,

and I attribute that to him.

Good, get your base wide.
Keep the base wide.

[Dash off screen] We in here at Proactive.
A lot of pros come up here to work out,

and get their bodies right,
and get on the court with us.

One pound, pound one, two, so pound first.

Pound the ball first, all right?

I was the one talking to him
like, "No, you can do this."

He was like, "Really, you think
I can play in the league?"

And I'm like, "Yeah, I think
you can play in the league.

You know, you hungry. You work hard."
He was always competitive.

The kid could really shoot the basketball.
Game time, game time…

[overlapping chatter]

I love studying the film
on guys like Duncan Robinson.

- [announcer] Robinson, you bet.
- [audience cheers]

[announcer 2] Part of his career
at a division-three institution.

Duncan Robinson is a guy
that the D3 community really looks up to

and someone that I've looked up to.

I'm going back to the G League next year,

and I'm gonna keep
preparing, and you know,

my goal is to make the NBA,
and I'm just gonna put in

all the work that's needed to be put in
this off season to try to get to my goal.

[dramatic sting]

- [thudding]
- Do I put this in?

Mom, do I put this in here?

[relative] All right,
we gotta keep working.

- [overlapping chatter]
- I'm making the rice

- [relative] No, you're standing there.
- Look, look, look, look.

Look, look, look. [gentle music]
I'm the seasoner.

- [relatives laughing]
- [Brad] He's the seasoner.

They called me
"Chef Boy RT" in college, okay?

[gentle music]

Okay, I think we have the first steak.
Let's see.

[Ryan speaking Hebrew]

[relatives reply in Hebrew]

[Brad] Everybody get a fork
or grab with your hand.

[relative 2] Or just grab it.
They already got the forks.

When you're there,
you're missing your family.

When you're here, you're missing
the game and your teammates.

This is the dream.
This is what I wanted to do.

Um, you know, and I'm just
blessed to be able to do it.

I always get very emotional
when I see Ryan play,

and I see what he's doing
and what he's representing.

It's hard when they're not
here, but it's exciting.

They're living the life
that they wanna live,

and every time I think about it,
I get teary eyed. [whimpers] Sorry.

- [gentle music continues]
- [softly] I'm proud.

That's it. [laughs] That's it.
I get very, very proud.

- [laughing] Aw.
- [all] Aw.

- I think you have a client now, so…
- I do.

- Cheer up, and go train somebody.
- Okay.

- You got this.
- I will go do.

I'm glad that I got
this year of experience

of playing professional
basketball at this level.

I understand that I have
a platform right now

to be able to inspire people,
and I wanna keep doing that.

Whether they be Jewish, Muslim, Christian,
doesn't matter what your faith is

that you can achieve your dreams no matter

where you come from or
what you believe in.

[gentle music fades]

[leaves rustling]

It's crazy 'cause I ain't
seen these pictures in a while.

This Denzel as a little boy, baby.

I put that rock in his
hand early. [laughs]

[Denzel] I grew up in Lansing, Michigan.
You know, my dad played at Michigan State.

[Carlton] We standing, like,
right in front of the trophy cabinet.

In there is my most viable player trophy
at Michigan State from 1988.

I got to play for him,
fortunately, in high school.

And that summer, I was in eighth grade
going into ninth grade,

and he didn't play me, like, one minute,
that whole team camp.

And I was sitting there like, "What?"
Like, "I'm the best player."

He knows that. That's my dad.
Like, he knows how I can play.

He knows that I can help
the team win, and I was mad.

I was mad as fuck.

[Carlton] Here, he drew
a picture of himself.

He's talking about what he
wanted to do with his life,

that he wanted to play in the
NBA, and he drew a little man.

I used to be mad at him
and always questioning him

and why he did that, but he
was just trying to prove to me

that you ain't just gonna
walk in and just play

just because you're number one in state,
or you're my son. Like, you gotta earn it.

[gentle music swells]

I cried at the draft.
Honestly, I was proud of my son.

When emotions come, you gotta let 'em flow
'cause they don't come that often.

It's okay to cry.

Ain't like I'm walking
around like a cry baby

- like I'm a little punk or something.
- [all laughing]

It was character building. He wanted to
show me, if you want something,

then go work for it, and you're not just
gonna be given anything,

like, no matter where
you are in this world.

And that's how the real world is.
Those little lessons that he taught me

when I was playing for him,
I still carry to this day.

[Carlton] Right now, I don't
really give him no advice

'cause he know how to play.

I'm there for support, not
telling him what to do,

but just supporting him
and reinforcing him.

If he told us today,
"I can't do anymore,"

I'd be like, "That's fine with me. You've
made me so proud I can't handle it."

He has more that he wants to achieve,

so I'm gonna support him in
whatever he chooses to do.

Everything is a battle in your mind,

and you gotta constantly
choose to think positive

and think the right things.

Giannis, in 2020, he said,
"I was ready to walk away from the game."

He was about to retire.
That's crazy.

Accomplishing everything,
winning championships,

and everything, and he
still got stuff going on.

It just puts stuff in
perspective of me wanting

to accomplish my dreams and aspirations.

Got a lot of stuff in here.
I got trophies and memorabilia.

Growing up, he had mad trophies.

My dad put that there because
he wanted to instill in us

that supposed to be winners.

He got our minds right from day one.

Still got that mentality, but it started
with him, so definitely.

Nobody cares if I played
in the NBA or whatever.

Like, I gotta go earn
my way back to the NBA.

I gotta go get it.

[gentle music continues]

[attendees chattering indistinctly]

[gentle music swells]

When I met this young man,
man, he was 17 years old,

but he like an old soul,
and we're gonna miss him

because it's like the
little brother who came,

and now he's going off to college.
Scoot Henderson, let's go.

A man of few words,
but he gotta talk tonight.

Here you go.

I just want to start off
by thanking my mom and dad

for letting me come here
at 17, and believing in me,

and believing in my maturity
level that I'm gonna come here,

and I'm gonna do nothing
but work and, you know,

get the best out of the two years.
And that's what I've been doing.

That's what I came here for,
and you know, hopefully, it'll pay off.

[applause]

The parables of talent,
Matthew, comes to mind

when I think about Scoot
and this whole journey.

When God gives you something,
what do you do with it?

The Lord gave three different
individuals beans or seeds.

[audience cheering]

[Crystal continues]
One kept it and hid it away, right?

"It was the same as it was
when you gave it to me."

One buried it.
"Oh, I did a little bit with it."

And one sold the seed,

and, "This is the abundant
growth that I've provided,"

and so I think, when you talk
about the parables of talent,

then you don't take what
God gives you for granted.

You go and you be the best
that you can be at it.

And you show that every single day.

- [ball thudding]
- [music swells]

Chest up, chest up, perfect.
Push on these for a second.

[Chris off screen]
I'm a big fan of striving for perfection.

Keep it strong.
Lock it up. Keep it strong.

[Chris continues] And that's the
things that I instilled in my kids.

- [Trainer] Good, number two.
- [balls thudding]

You can have a dream, but at the
same time, let's make it a reality.

So I wouldn't call it dreaming .

We were made for this,
and we were built for this.

[Trainer] Pound, quick, shift,
shift, shift, shift.

[Chris continues] And if God gave us
the blessings to keep us healthy

with a straight mind,
we're gonna be the best,

and we're gonna put our best foot forward.

We gonna work hard.

We gonna work hard when the
hardworking are sleeping.

And like I said, we strive to be the best.

[interviewer] Why is it
important for you to dream big?

Um… You know, everybody has dreams, um,
but it's really just, it's the work, man.

It's the work you gotta put
in to achieve those dreams.

[announcer]
Look at this coast to…

[announcer 2]
Oh, Scoot Henderson just nasty.

No, it's important to dream
big just so you can see it,

and you know, you wanna put yourself…

and you wanna put that
feeling in the universe

to where it kind of just
manifests itself out.

- [announcer, echoed] The hype is real.
- [gentle music continues]

[Scoot continues] That's what I did,
and you know, I'm here now,

so it is very important
to believe in yourself

that you could be there, you
know, wherever you wanna be

in the next couple years.

So I think it's important that
you just, you know, dream big

and you know, wanna accomplish
everything in the world,

you know, so it's important to, you know,

wanna be the president or
always have those little dreams

you've always had when you were a kid,
you know, to keep those, so… yeah.

[announcer off screen] With the
third pick in the 2023 NBA draft,

the Portland Trailblazers
pick Scoot Henderson.

[audience cheering]

- Love you, dad.
- Me, too.

- [Grandma] Oh, my God,
- Love you, mom.

I love you, too. [laughs]

[gentle music swells]

- Proud of you, bro.
- Love you.

[sister] Love you, too.

[audience cheering]

I came in the G League
100 miles per hour.

You're not stopping me getting to the rim.
But, like, you can't do that in the NBA.

It took me a while to adjust to the NBA.

These guys are too big.
They're too strong.

They're just as fast as you.

I'm ecstatic to get
to the city of Portland,

show the fans what Scoot
about, so I'm ready.

You don't separate in the NBA.
Everyone's just like you.

[laughs] It was, like,
hard to score 10 points.

- Whoo.
- [bystander] Whoo-hoo.

He's done some impressive
things already in the G League…

but we gotta see when he gets to the NBA.

[interviewer] Why do you think playing in
the G League was such good preparation?

We played against pros every night
and guys that killed in college,

guys that killed overseas,
guys that's going up and down the league.

You know, I'm the most prepared
of player in the draft.

That's what I say, so yeah,
Ignite definitely showed me

a lot of things that help win a game…
[fades]

[players chattering indistinctly]

Season ended, lost in the first round
to Capital City Go-Go.

- Appreciate y'all.
- That looks good.

About to head home,
I had already packed my car,

and the GM from the
Pacers called me and said,

"Don't leave yet.
You got five games with us.

You'll be able to play in the last three."

And then they signed me
to a two-way contract.

Well, you had a great year,
playing hard every night.

You know, I'm really proud of you.

- Sign away.
- [pen etching]

- So season's not quite done yet.
- Not yet, yes, sir, not yet.

- Congratulations. Yep.
- Thank you so much.

- [hands slapping]
- Appreciate you, Steve.

[Steve speaking faintly]

[city noise]

You know, you going through your career,
and you feel like you're invisible.

You feel like nobody sees the struggling
that you're going through.

- [gentle music swells]
- And so you start to think about, like,

"Damn, am I good enough? Am I doing
what's necessary? Like, what's going on?

Why am I not getting my
chance, my opportunity?"

Like I know who I think I am…

but at the end of the day, it's like,

"Nah, man, I've done this
since I was five years old.

Like, "You are who you think you are.

Like, go out there and
showcase what you can do."

[audience cheering]

- [music continues]
- [cheering continues]

[game sounds]

- [overlapping chatter]
- [player] Knock it in, boy.

- Yes, sir.
- [cheering]

- [player] Yes, sir.
- [audience cheering]

Getting on that court going
to be a beautiful thing,

knowing my journey and
seeing what it's took to even

just get to this point, it's not quitting,
to be resilient, and to get knocked down,

and to keep getting back up.

[player] Got you, boy.

[announcer] Now, Gabe
York, number 32 from Indiana,

a great story. He's 29.
Went undrafted seven years ago.

[announcer 2]
He's played 146 G League,

Germany, Greece, Israel, and
four years in the G League.

[announcer 3]
And he doesn't wanna go back.

[dramatic sting]

Like I said, when you're on the margin,
everything matters.

I'm in, I'm in. I'm in.

Situation, fit, timing, all that stuff,

you have to find your niche,
play it the best you can.

You can't leave a chip on the table.

- [game sounds]
- [Gabe grunting]

- [rim clattering]
- [audience groans]

Like, if you're a shooter,
go out on your sword.

[audience groaning]

You're better off going oh for 10

and going out on your sword
than going one for one,

but you passed up nine shots,
and everybody thinks you're scared.

[dramatic music swells]

- [announcer] And now York…
- [audience cheering]

[announcer] His first of the night!

[Gabe] I got corner for you.
I got you.

[announcer] That's a three by Gabe York.

- [announcer on speaker] Gabe York.
- [audience cheering]

[announcer 2] That's a guy you
gotta take a hard look at him.

[net whooshing]

[Gabe off screen] I really don't
know what the future holds.

I'm not sitting here saying
I'm on this team for next season,

and I really have no clue
what's next for me still.

[announcer]
In the final home game of the year.

[Gabe continues] But basketball is my
life, and that storybook ending is coming.

It's what I think about.
It's what I dream about.

[gentle music swells]

And that's gonna continue
to stay the same.

Call-ups not gonna change that either.
At the end of the day, you know,

I'm gonna be me until, you
know, the shoes come off.

[dramatic sting]

At the end of the day,
you gotta remember you're probably

one of the top 1,000 people
out of 8 billion on the planet.

How many hundreds of millions
of people would wanna be you

or wish they had the
talent to do what you do?

And you're in the top 1,000.
You are elite.

You are amazing.
You know what I'm saying?

You're not where you want to
be, but you are still amazing.

[gentle music]

And I think that story is a hero, right,
'cause every hero's not gonna be Superman.

[music swells]

You know,
you gonna have Green Lantern,

you gonna have Ironman,
you gonna have Batman,

you gonna have all those other guys,
but they still gotta say

whether it be they little
community, they little town,

they little whatever,
and they city block even,

you know what I'm saying,
like Luke Cage…

[audience distorted cheering]

But you still a hero.

You one of the top 15,000 in history

out of the hundreds of billions
of people that ever lived.

You are elite.
You are special.

You just gotta go do it.

[music intensifies]

[dramatic sting]

[gentle music]

[music continues through credits]